The Spook Who Sat by the Door (1973)

If Sweetback was the match that lit the fuse, this then must represent the biggest, most dangerous powder keg at the end of that fuse. Not so much a film as an audiovisual incendiary device, this details the character of Dan Freeman and his rise from CIA token integrationist/flunky to charismatic demagogue uniting the black population of Chicago into a expertly trained guerrilla army. One wonders if Chuck Pahlaniuk knew of this narrative prior to writing Fight Club -- this film certainly echoes the latter work in its study of disenfranchised members of society lashing out in violent ways to overthrow the status quo. The target here, of course, is white oppression rather than consumerist dead-endism (both films are, if nothing else, quintessential fringe products of their time), but the idea still holds fast. The film is rough around the edges (budget limitations hamper the scope, and the narrative and character development undergoes a few stutters), but in its willingness to present ideas and concepts that nobody really wants to deal with and follow them through to the bitter end, it's an admirable, forceful film.

Grade: B